Group pledges $35M to help pay for new charter schools
Philadelphia School Partnership says the money should more than cover 11,000 new seats over 3 years.
AN EDUCATION-advocacy group has pledged $35 million to help offset the cost of new charter schools in Philadelphia, the group announced yesterday.
Philadelphia School Partnership said it hopes the money will allow the School Reform Commission to consider the 39 applications for new charters "purely on the merits" and eliminate concerns about the financial impact on the cash-strapped district.
"There's no question that the way charters get funded in Pennsylvania is a flawed system, and there is somewhat of a negative financial impact for the district," PSP executive director Mark Gleason told the Daily News.
PSP said the highest-performing charter operators have proposed 11,000 new seats over the next three years, which it estimates would cost the district an extra $22 million. The offer from PSP would cover that cost with a slight buffer and give an additional $10 million to the Great Schools Fund, which provides money to district-run schools undergoing transformation.
At the same time, Gleason said, the group would continue to advocate for charter reimbursement from the state.
PSP's estimate is based on the cost of about $2,000 incurred by the district when a pupil goes from a district-run school to a charter. But the district has said that cost is about $7,000.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the Philadelphia School Partnership offer would not influence the SRC's decisions.
"We are appreciative of the offer by PSP, and the SRC will continue its rigorous review process, which will focus on the merits of the applications as outlined by the Pennsylvania Charter School Law," Gallard said.
The SRC wants to push back the deadline to vote on the proposals until June 1 due to the high volume of applications. State law would require the SRC to vote on each application within 75 days of the first hearing, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties.